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I Want to Start a "Religious" Tract Cache


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Maybe it's me but I don't see how having a cache that says 'put all your tracts here' is pushing an agenda.

+1

It's like claiming that the cache that cachers placed in memory of the little child they lost and ask that folks try and keep it kid-freindly (put toys in it and it is already filled with toys) has an agenda! Get a grip folks! If you gonna go around saying things like that - more than half of Geocoins would have to be banned due to having an agenda, while all they're really doing is expressing their owners' interests...

 

Depending on the wording on the cache page that could be an agenda. Also, Trackable items such as Geocoins and Travel Bugs are not covered under the "no agenda" guideline.

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I did this, sort of. I found a cache that obviously was pushing a fundamentalist Christian agenda between the name and the fact that it was filled with fundamentalist Christian tracts. I went back to it and traded out some of the tracts and replaced them with tracts espousing Catholicism, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, atheism and Mormonism.

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Ha ha ha ha, oh I love this thread! I have a "Sin Boldly" Martin Luther card somewhere... I think maybe they are available online (am I allowed to say where?).
Like this?

new_ltsb_300.gif

Pricey at $5 a pop. I got a "Sin Boldly" pint glass for Christmas a couple years back. One of my favorites.

Oh, and don't forget Festivus! :lol:
Seen any Festivus Tracts? I'd put some in!

 

I haven't seen any printed tracts, perhaps I can air that as a grievance at this years Festivus event? The fraygirls have hosted one for the past four years. Leave your tinsel behind and come join us in December.

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There's a cache series not too far from here heavily based on witchcraft so I can't see that the religious agenda thing is enforced too strictly. If the cache is for trading of any religious material I can't see the problem, except that someone religious will almost certainly come and remove all the ones they don't agree with.

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So, I heard back from my reviewer. After checking it over with other reviewers, the cache is a "Go."

 

Of course, I have to make sure my writeup is unbiased towards any one cause. It'll be hard to do that. I love sweet potatoes. . . :laughing:

 

It just occurred to me, I should find an appropriate place to hide this cache. Any thoughts? Other than just finding a tract of land? :unsure: I don't want to place it at a church or the like.

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There's a cache series not too far from here heavily based on witchcraft so I can't see that the religious agenda thing is enforced too strictly. If the cache is for trading of any religious material I can't see the problem, except that someone religious will almost certainly come and remove all the ones they don't agree with.

 

You can base a cache on something like religion, but you have to be careful not to create a cache page that comes across as pushing the agenda of the religion. You can't for example print something like "this cache is located next to the First Baptist Church, please come inside and receive the word of God". Just like you can print "this cache is located next to the First Street Animal Shelter, please consider adopting a infant walrus today."

 

There's a big $10 word that I've seen used in these kinds of discussions before that I can't think of at the moment. Basically you can't ask a finder to do something in the interest of an organization, business or group. You have to keep it factual and unbiased- "The First Baptist Church was established in blah blah blah and continues to hold service today at regular hours." or "The First Street Animal shelter has been serving this community for blah blah years." Even that second example might bump against the guideline. The trick is to ask ahead of time, like Too Tall John has done and not put too much work into until the reviewer give it the green light.

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So, I heard back from my reviewer. After checking it over with other reviewers, the cache is a "Go."

 

Of course, I have to make sure my writeup is unbiased towards any one cause. It'll be hard to do that. I love sweet potatoes. . . :laughing:

 

It just occurred to me, I should find an appropriate place to hide this cache. Any thoughts? Other than just finding a tract of land? :unsure: I don't want to place it at a church or the like.

 

Awesome! Let us know when it's published so I can put it on a watch list. :ph34r:

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An Update:

 

This cache has been on my back burner, but is still in my sights. I just ordered some GOOHF cards and Million Dollar Bills and printed out some FSM fliers. I've also just PM'ed the forum supplier of Sweet Potato Tracts. If there's any other easily printable tracts I'd love to hear about 'em. (Some of the links given are web based, printable but not in a very useful way...)

 

I was unsure about where to put this cache until I realized that I live just off a road that shares a name with the man most known for the tracts that are so often hated: Jack Chick. In fact, there's a little-used church (services about once a year), the Chickville Church right on Chickville Road. The link shows the aerial view of the old church. It'll be along the road, somewhere, maybe even close to the church...

 

Thoughts?

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Did you check this out with your reviewer yet?

 

It does smell agenda based.

It might not fly.

 

Heck, when I first saw this thread I figured you were trolling.

Actually, you bringing it up again after you got all that feedback supports that thought.

Uh huh... I was thinking the same thing. :blink:

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I'm a "live and let live" kinda guy. If someone wants to set a series of religious caches, so be it. If I disagree with, I'll just put it on my ignore list.

 

I'm sure there are cachers out there that would get a kick out of a "Stations of the Cross" series, or something like that. Let them have their fun! If that offends you, or if you have a problem with it, then don't do the cache! I don't think it's necessarily an agenda. The purpose isn't necessarily to recruit people into their particular religion. They might just be placing these caches because they'd be fun for people of similar beliefs.

 

If someone set a series based on the Boston Red Sox, I wouldn't have a problem with them doing so... I just won't go find them :laughing:

 

HOWEVER: It's when I find religious pamphlets in a regular cache that bothers me. Hell, even "bothers" is too strong of a word (like I said, I'm not very sensitive about these kinds of things), but I do know some people who would be taken aback by finding a mini bible in a normal cache. Me, I would simply say to myself "well, this really shouldn't be here" and I'd move on. THAT'S what I'd consider having an agenda: Spamming regular caches with religious paraphernalia. But something like this? If I knew going in that it was a religious cache? Eh, not so much.

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An Update:

 

This cache has been on my back burner, but is still in my sights. I just ordered some GOOHF cards and Million Dollar Bills and printed out some FSM fliers. I've also just PM'ed the forum supplier of Sweet Potato Tracts. If there's any other easily printable tracts I'd love to hear about 'em. (Some of the links given are web based, printable but not in a very useful way...)

 

I was unsure about where to put this cache until I realized that I live just off a road that shares a name with the man most known for the tracts that are so often hated: Jack Chick. In fact, there's a little-used church (services about once a year), the Chickville Church right on Chickville Road. The link shows the aerial view of the old church. It'll be along the road, somewhere, maybe even close to the church...

 

Thoughts?

 

Let me get this straight. You're going to place a cache in a place called "Chickville" and you're wondering if anyone will try to find it?

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Did you check this out with your reviewer yet?

 

It does smell agenda based.

It might not fly.

Yes, a long time ago:
So, I heard back from my reviewer. After checking it over with other reviewers, the cache is a "Go."
Heck, when I first saw this thread I figured you were trolling.

Actually, you bringing it up again after you got all that feedback supports that thought.

Which feedback was that?
I think that would be pretty dern kewl. The only issue I can see is that many folks won't have access to such tracts. The funny ones, such as the GOOHF card and the Sweet Potato tracts would go fairly fast, leaving just the traditional ones in place.
I'm not the religious type, but I would LOVE that cache. I'd have to find something appropriate before going to it, but I'd support that theme! :)
Maybe it's me but I don't see how having a cache that says 'put all your tracts here' is pushing an agenda.
...What a fun idea for a cache!...
Seems to me as long as you aren't promoting a specific religion, it should avoid the whole "agenda" thing. Just say something about it being a cache for trading religious or quasi-religious pamphlets.

 

Oh, and don't forget Festivus! :lol:

I haven't counted, but it seems to me that the helpful posts about checking with the reviewer (done!), suggestions for swag, names of cache, locations for cache far outnumber feedback that suggest I shouldn't do this. Edited by Too Tall John
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Did you check this out with your reviewer yet?

 

It does smell agenda based.

It might not fly.

Yes, a long time ago:
So, I heard back from my reviewer. After checking it over with other reviewers, the cache is a "Go."
Heck, when I first saw this thread I figured you were trolling.

Actually, you bringing it up again after you got all that feedback supports that thought.

Which feedback was that?
I think that would be pretty dern kewl. The only issue I can see is that many folks won't have access to such tracts. The funny ones, such as the GOOHF card and the Sweet Potato tracts would go fairly fast, leaving just the traditional ones in place.
I'm not the religious type, but I would LOVE that cache. I'd have to find something appropriate before going to it, but I'd support that theme! :)
Maybe it's me but I don't see how having a cache that says 'put all your tracts here' is pushing an agenda.
...What a fun idea for a cache!...
Seems to me as long as you aren't promoting a specific religion, it should avoid the whole "agenda" thing. Just say something about it being a cache for trading religious or quasi-religious pamphlets.

 

Oh, and don't forget Festivus! :lol:

I haven't counted, but it seems to me that the posts about checking with the reviewer (done!), suggestions for swag, names of cache, locations for cache far outnumber feedback that suggest I shouldn't do this.

 

 

Yes, all that feedback. :laughing:

 

I wasn't saying the feedback was bad, I was saying you got a ton of feedback, what is it you're needing now?

You're bringing up a subject that a lot of people gave you feedback on. Why are you bringing it up again was my question.

If you wanted blessings from the community you got it (from most of them anyway, I would not like a religious tract cache).

I was thinking maybe you didn't get enough bad feedback.

It looks like you're looking for something, and it's not just feedback on your cache location.

 

Well if you are trolling, then I'll give you an honest reaction.

I would hate a cache that was stuffed full of religious tracts.

There you got it. Is that what you really wanted here?

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To the OP; I for one prefer not to find relegious tracts in my caches. They don't offend me, I don't get upset, I just leave them alone. Sounds like you are looking for humorous material. The problem is when someone comes along with an extreme agenda and adds to your collection. The entire tone can change. I remember finding in a public restroom a relegious tract professionally printed in cartoon style that had a very insulting messages aimed toward a well known mainstream relegion. The offensiveness really didn't sink in until I had read throught eh entire pamphlet (hey, I was doing business, give me a break) Just want you to understand those materials are out there. If the humorousness is what appeals to you, perhaps you could also satisfy your itch for this type of cache with humorous pamphlets that are not relegiously slanted? I have a folder at work that I have filled with "office jokes" I have collected by email over the years.

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Yes, all that feedback. :laughing:

 

I wasn't saying the feedback was bad, I was saying you got a ton of feedback, what is it you're needing now?

You're bringing up a subject that a lot of people gave you feedback on. Why are you bringing it up again was my question.

Show me where you asked that question, please.
If you wanted blessings from the community you got it (from most of them anyway, I would not like a religious tract cache).

I was thinking maybe you didn't get enough bad feedback.

It looks like you're looking for something, and it's not just feedback on your cache location.

You're right, it isn't all I'm looking for. I highlighted what I am looking for in red for ya:
This cache has been on my back burner, but is still in my sights. I just ordered some GOOHF cards and Million Dollar Bills and printed out some FSM fliers. I've also just PM'ed the forum supplier of Sweet Potato Tracts. If there's any other easily printable tracts I'd love to hear about 'em.
Well if you are trolling, then I'll give you an honest reaction.

I would hate a cache that was stuffed full of religious tracts.

There you got it. Is that what you really wanted here?

Oh, man you got me again. I had yet another motivation to post to the thread: I'm finally getting around to putting the cache together and was excited. Take your troll police badge and go play somewhere else, there is nothing for you here.
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Well if you are trolling, then I'll give you an honest reaction.

I would hate a cache that was stuffed full of religious tracts.

There you got it. Is that what you really wanted here?

 

I think you've got the wrong idea about the original idea for the cache. Unless I've misunderstood, they aren't actual religious tracts, they're "religious tracts" in the loosest sense of the phrase.

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Well if you are trolling, then I'll give you an honest reaction.

I would hate a cache that was stuffed full of religious tracts.

There you got it. Is that what you really wanted here?

 

I think you've got the wrong idea about the original idea for the cache. Unless I've misunderstood, they aren't actual religious tracts, they're "religious tracts" in the loosest sense of the phrase.

 

I'm a caching monk and I approve of this post.

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I think you've got the wrong idea about the original idea for the cache. Unless I've misunderstood, they aren't actual religious tracts, they're "religious tracts" in the loosest sense of the phrase.
I just reread the OP. To me, it looks like both religious tracts and "religious" tracts would be welcome in the cache.
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An Update:

 

This cache has been on my back burner, but is still in my sights. I just ordered some GOOHF cards and Million Dollar Bills and printed out some FSM fliers. I've also just PM'ed the forum supplier of Sweet Potato Tracts. If there's any other easily printable tracts I'd love to hear about 'em. (Some of the links given are web based, printable but not in a very useful way...)

 

I was unsure about where to put this cache until I realized that I live just off a road that shares a name with the man most known for the tracts that are so often hated: Jack Chick. In fact, there's a little-used church (services about once a year), the Chickville Church right on Chickville Road. The link shows the aerial view of the old church. It'll be along the road, somewhere, maybe even close to the church...

 

Thoughts?

 

I don't care one way or another about the religious material, but I sure do wanna visit Chickville!! Does it live up to its name?

Link to comment

An Update:

 

This cache has been on my back burner, but is still in my sights. I just ordered some GOOHF cards and Million Dollar Bills and printed out some FSM fliers. I've also just PM'ed the forum supplier of Sweet Potato Tracts. If there's any other easily printable tracts I'd love to hear about 'em. (Some of the links given are web based, printable but not in a very useful way...)

 

I was unsure about where to put this cache until I realized that I live just off a road that shares a name with the man most known for the tracts that are so often hated: Jack Chick. In fact, there's a little-used church (services about once a year), the Chickville Church right on Chickville Road. The link shows the aerial view of the old church. It'll be along the road, somewhere, maybe even close to the church...

 

Thoughts?

 

I don't care one way or another about the religious material, but I sure do wanna visit Chickville!! Does it live up to its name?

 

Does it?!? It'll stop you in your tracts!

Link to comment

An Update:

 

This cache has been on my back burner, but is still in my sights. I just ordered some GOOHF cards and Million Dollar Bills and printed out some FSM fliers. I've also just PM'ed the forum supplier of Sweet Potato Tracts. If there's any other easily printable tracts I'd love to hear about 'em. (Some of the links given are web based, printable but not in a very useful way...)

 

I was unsure about where to put this cache until I realized that I live just off a road that shares a name with the man most known for the tracts that are so often hated: Jack Chick. In fact, there's a little-used church (services about once a year), the Chickville Church right on Chickville Road. The link shows the aerial view of the old church. It'll be along the road, somewhere, maybe even close to the church...

 

Thoughts?

 

I don't care one way or another about the religious material, but I sure do wanna visit Chickville!! Does it live up to its name?

 

Does it?!? It'll stop you in your tracts!

I see what you did there.

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I don't care one way or another about the religious material, but I sure do wanna visit Chickville!! Does it live up to its name?
There's probably a whole lot more chickens than the kind of chicks I think you mean. Unless you've got a thing for baby chickens... (Actually, I was at one of several Chick Family grave plots in the area today, that's where the name comes from, but there's no fun in that...)
Are you limiting yourself to Christian tracts? For that matter... do other religions even have tracts?
I'm not limiting it to Christian Tracts, although in my web searches, the two most common types are Fundamentalist Christian and Satirical Tracts. I did stumble across some Catholic Tracts, but you had to pay big bucks for the ones that actually looked interesting. My web search for "Muslim Tracts" only returned results for tracts intended to bring Muslims to Christianity. The nearest result for a "Buddhist Tract" search was someone else asking where they could find some. There was no response.

 

I've got some Sweet Potato Tracts on the way, as well as the "Get Out of Hell Free" cards (which are actually a bit of a satire, read the story here) some Million Dollar Bills from "Living Waters" and a "Sampler Pack" from the same company. I've also printed a small handful of Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster brochures, two different types!

 

Anyone know of some unique tracts I can put in this cache? I'll trade for GOOHF cards or Million Dollar Bills, your choice. (I had to order both in qty's of 100, so I will have a bunch...)

Edited by Too Tall John
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I don't care one way or another about the religious material, but I sure do wanna visit Chickville!! Does it live up to its name?
There's probably a whole lot more chickens than the kind of chicks I think you mean. Unless you've got a thing for baby chickens... (Actually, I was at one of several Chick Family grave plots in the area today, that's where the name comes from, but there's no fun in that...)
Are you limiting yourself to Christian tracts? For that matter... do other religions even have tracts?
I'm not limiting it to Christian Tracts, although in my web searches, the two most common types are Fundamentalist Christian and Satirical Tracts. I did stumble across some Catholic Tracts, but you had to pay big bucks for the ones that actually looked interesting. My web search for "Muslim Tracts" only returned results for tracts intended to bring Muslims to Christianity. The nearest result for a "Buddhist Tract" search was someone else asking where they could find some. There was no response.

 

Sounds like an opportunity for some enterprising Hindus, Muslims, or Buddhists!

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I don't care one way or another about the religious material, but I sure do wanna visit Chickville!! Does it live up to its name?
There's probably a whole lot more chickens than the kind of chicks I think you mean. Unless you've got a thing for baby chickens... (Actually, I was at one of several Chick Family grave plots in the area today, that's where the name comes from, but there's no fun in that...)
Are you limiting yourself to Christian tracts? For that matter... do other religions even have tracts?
I'm not limiting it to Christian Tracts, although in my web searches, the two most common types are Fundamentalist Christian and Satirical Tracts. I did stumble across some Catholic Tracts, but you had to pay big bucks for the ones that actually looked interesting. My web search for "Muslim Tracts" only returned results for tracts intended to bring Muslims to Christianity. The nearest result for a "Buddhist Tract" search was someone else asking where they could find some. There was no response.

 

I've got some Sweet Potato Tracts on the way, as well as the "Get Out of Hell Free" cards (which are actually a bit of a satire, read the story here) some Million Dollar Bills from "Living Waters" and a "Sampler Pack" from the same company. I've also printed a small handful of Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster brochures, two different types!

 

Anyone know of some unique tracts I can put in this cache? I'll trade for GOOHF cards or Million Dollar Bills, your choice. (I had to order both in qty's of 100, so I will have a bunch...)

 

:lol: Let us know when it gets posted. I want to put a watch on it. Should be a fun cache to watch.

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Let me get this straight. You're going to place a cache in a place called "Chickville" and you're wondering if anyone will try to find it?
Not questioning if people will find it. 'Round here you could hide a cache on "Hell's Road" and name it "Guarded by Satan's Spawn!" and people'd still look for it.

 

Near my house is a trail named "Devil's Gulch Trail". Cachers have placed caches on it with the names "Little Devils", "Shout at the Devil", and "Speak of the Devil". I placed two more caches called "Angelic Overlook" and "Heavenly Outlook". :P:ph34r:

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Are you limiting yourself to Christian tracts? For that matter... do other religions even have tracts?

Apologies in advance for the minor diversion, but we were just discussing something related to this at lunch on Thursday. (Actually we were discussing the movie Airplane). When was the last time any one saw a hari krisha follower soliciting in the airport, or anywhere else for that matter? :unsure:

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Are you limiting yourself to Christian tracts? For that matter... do other religions even have tracts?

Apologies in advance for the minor diversion, but we were just discussing something related to this at lunch on Thursday. (Actually we were discussing the movie Airplane). When was the last time any one saw a hari krisha follower soliciting in the airport, or anywhere else for that matter? :unsure:

Never. But then, I didn't really start flying until '94.

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Are you limiting yourself to Christian tracts? For that matter... do other religions even have tracts?

Apologies in advance for the minor diversion, but we were just discussing something related to this at lunch on Thursday. (Actually we were discussing the movie Airplane). When was the last time any one saw a hari krisha follower soliciting in the airport, or anywhere else for that matter? :unsure:

 

Great question! Any Hare Krishna Kachers out there? (anybody wanna start a new thread about that subject?)

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Are you limiting yourself to Christian tracts? For that matter... do other religions even havetracts?
Apologies in advance for the minor diversion, but we were just discussing something related to this at lunch on Thursday. (Actually we were discussing the movie Airplane). When was the last time any one saw a hari krisha follower soliciting in the airport, or anywhere else for that matter? :unsure:
Hare Krishna At 40. Uh-oh... I found a booklet from them: "On Chanting Hare Krishna" but it comes in bundles of 800 for $45! A little pricey. . . and I just found where you can get individual ones! Ordered! Edited by Too Tall John
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I wish there was a cache like that near here; what would be better for my 666th find?

 

I have quite a collection of the amusing Chick comics (believe - OR ELSE!) as someone keeps leaving them on a payphone nearby. I pulled a card from a competing sect out of a cache Saturday night and placed it in the same location, for laughs.

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Geocaching is not the place for religious material of any kind. When I find cards or tracts in a cache I remove them and trash them. We are not supposed to promote a business with a cache. I think we do not need to be promoting religion in a cache. How would you feel if you opened a cache and found it full of muslum tracts, or buddhist, or hindu, or jewish. It just isn't appropriate here. Keep your religion to yourself and I will keep mine to me. I doubt that anyone will go to Jesus because he found a tract in a cache. It serves no purpose but to offend

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Geocaching is not the place for religious material of any kind. When I find cards or tracts in a cache I remove them and trash them. We are not supposed to promote a business with a cache. I think we do not need to be promoting religion in a cache. How would you feel if you opened a cache and found it full of muslum tracts, or buddhist, or hindu, or jewish. It just isn't appropriate here. Keep your religion to yourself and I will keep mine to me. I doubt that anyone will go to Jesus because he found a tract in a cache. It serves no purpose but to offend

 

Actually, it only offends those that have no religion. Most true religions are based on kindness, compassion, understanding and acceptance.

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